The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-01-20


is a fire rarely if ever quenched, and the
heat of its smouldering embars not infre-
quently sting the soul as well as the body,
with the realization that there is danger
at hand. The picture of a creature of Dl-
vine Grace being consumed by the raging
heat of this inner fire, is so common as to
be almost unheeded as matter worthy
of special note.
We met young man but few days
since, who has for years been suffering
from the burnings OF this dangerous IN
ward fire. In him the worm of the fire
dieth not, nor is the flame quenched. But,
like many another well-meaning young
man, this one resolved to put out, once
for all, these torturing flames that were
rendering his life miserable, even intoleia-
BILE. A public occasion was chosen as the
time and place for carrying out this good
resolution, and amid the plaudits of hosts
of friends he placed his signature to a
public declaration that $50 helping him
God" he would do all in his power to put
out the consuming fire, and keep the
flames down. At the carrying out of this
good resolution-even to this extent
there seemed to have been a great tide of
quenching fluid turned upon the burning
within, and all observing friends Joined
heartily in wishing him success in his no
BILE effort-for the fighting of this fire re-
quires a struggle, in the case of every
man who has once felt the heat of the
flames. Prayers assembled, and friends
showered good wishes upon the man en-
engaged in the struggle. Years had this
fire been burning, occasionally glaring up
with an intense heat. only to be smother
ed occasionally by some good resolution.
This noble purpose would in turn be con-
sumed again by the heat of the flames.
Prayers had been poured out for many
years for the Divine assistance for this
poor boy. to enable him to put out this
fierce, raging, Incorporate fire. Yet the
embers would spring up anew into fierce
flames, from time to time. Now, hOwev-
er, he was making one more assault upon
the flames that burned up character, rep
utation, hope, and all that was dear to the
human heart We saw the movement,
and evident determination, and went
away pleased. We knew that he was go
ing out into the world, where adverse
winds would fan the flames, and all infu-
ences seemingly combine to intensity the
heat. But we were willing to trust to
that Divine assistance which is ever rea-
dy for the faithful seeker, and for that
one who is filled with noble purpose.
The days went on. We saw the same
man but few days afterward-but sad
to say, the fire was burning as fiercely as
| aT16 ha Of cir nod Q6
The flame from the fire shone from the
eyes of the man. the glow of the embers
was seen in his features the smoke and
oppressive heat from the inward fire
seemed to fill his voice and choke his ex
preston; the great weight of the ores Of
sin that were being melted by the fire
was breaking down the body, and the steI
was uncertain and unsteady. So this
then, was the success of one poor morta
in putting out the fires of the sin of In
temperance!
When Christ was admonishing hi
Apostles, in Gethsemane, to put away ev
erything offensive, even to the fgurativ
expression of plucking out an eye, or cut
ting off a hand, he promulgated the onl
true way to put out this great fire. On
trouble is, with great many people, tha
they do not make an earnest, sober, pray
~ ~ erful attempt to extinguish the fires
they merely "bank" the fire and resolv
that henceforth he would not be bore
nor annoyed by that old fire. But hoy
a the Goals begin to glow at the first ray O
is temptation, and how the vicious, consum
/ ing flame will spring up under the frs
IS adverse wind! The soul that cannot, one
for all, gain complete mastery over thi
Z inward fire, goes on, from the lesser t
= the greater intensity of heat, from yea
&c to year, until the great, final, perpetua
D. heat and torture, offered as a reward fo
:, sin and disobedience, 1t would of cours
seem like hardship to think of pluckinl
, out an eye in the way of perfecting tn
character for purity. Yet the soul neet
! not go to such extremes. Pluck out th
offending part. There is a fire within tn,
j, being-put it out. There is the flame O.
p sin taking up and destroying the Chris
: tian characteristics, put it out. There i.
the heat of passion, distorting the sense:
and dragging down the soul, put it out
by the firm, resistless wave of determine
a heat of such force as to dissolve, disin
tegrate the nobler qualities of manhood
and womanhood. This can only be cooled
d and destroyed by Divine Grace, which is
!. given, merely for the faithful asking
r Mans contest is with himself, after all
I He finds division within himself. The
conscience, ON the one hand, calling to its
:. aid the better qualities of the heart-the
2 passion upon the other hand, calling to its
aid the less noble qualities. 1t is often a
! bitter, and sometimes a disastrous con-
, fiict But the only mortal hope lies in
: overcoming the evil forces arrayed upon
the one side, and the building up of the
. righteous forces arrayed upon the other
hand.
Among all the dangerous influences
: that inhabit the frail body called man,
none are SO dangerous, or venomous, as
the worm of Intemperance, which gains
such hold upon, and such control over,
the man that, literally, it seems that "the
worm dieth not" No matter how earnest
or. how determined the effort to escape
from the monster worm of the still, fire.
quently the effort seems futile, and the
coils of the monster are so wrapped and
twisted about the sufferer that there
seems to be no escape. The great danger
is, as a general thing, that after few fee
BILE efforts the victim gives up the strug-
gle, and falls helpless into the horrid folds
of the reptile. We have known many
man who was certainly determined to es-
cape from the monster, yet who gave up
the fight in short time. The raging,
awful flame of appetite, and the gnawing
of the hideous worm of the still, were lit
orally eating the life out of him, and he
| u,an+ Jo1.,,, baIp1acc victim Tru1u